PRESS RELEASE
Contact: G. Lawrence DeMarco, LLM
Email: ldemarco@menandboys.net
Phone: 1-215-901-1930
ICMB Report Reveals 76% of Homeless are Men: Urgent Call for Inclusive Solutions
July 22, 2024 – The International Council for Men and Boys (ICMB) has just released a report, “Addressing the Global Crisis of Homeless Men: Causes and Solutions.” The report examines the problem of homelessness and highlights the stark gender disparities affecting men. (1)
The report underscores the global nature of homelessness, with an estimated 150 million people affected worldwide. The ICMB report reveals that 76% of the homeless population across 45 countries are men. (2)
Key Factors Contributing to Homelessness Among Men include:
Economic Instability: Men are more likely to be employed in industries susceptible to economic downturns, leading to higher job loss rates and subsequent homelessness. (3)
Inadequate Social Policies: Men receive fewer social welfare benefits and housing support, compared to women. For example, domestic violence shelters overwhelmingly serve women, (4)(5) even though men are equally likely to be domestic violence victims. (6)
Sex Discrimination: Discriminatory practices based on sex increase the vulnerability of homeless men. For instance, despite men constituting 70% of the homeless population in New York, the city recently approved a shelter that only serves women. (7)
Restraining Orders: The misuse of restraining orders without sufficient evidence of abuse often leads to men being wrongfully removed from their residences. (8)
The ICMB report recommends several strategies to combat homelessness, including expanding equal support services for men as women, requiring sufficient evidence before issuing restraining orders, providing a fair balance of shelters for men and women, and other measures.
The ICMB urges policymakers, government officials, and the media to address the unacceptable sex disparities in homelessness. By ensuring inclusive policies, we can work towards eliminating homelessness and creating a more equitable society.
The International Council for Men and Boys is a non-governmental organization that is working to end the 12 sex disparities that affect men and boys around the world. The ICMB is a leader of the emerging global movement to address the 12 areas of male disadvantage. Achieving #GenderEqualityForMen also will benefit women. https://www.menandboys.net/
Links:
(1) https://www.menandboys.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Homelessness.pdf
(2) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hf1zRYHNDJjvunWWeoOl33VTVmPADtijzMniAmxBPRE/edit#gid=1526345150
(3) https://www.epi.org/blog/job-growth-great-recession-equal-men-women/
(4) https://medium.com/@info_6724/dv-shelters-exclusively-for-men-fathers-and-their-children-2024-ce1e916ab8ce
(5) https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/womens-shelters/
(6) https://endtodv.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Thirty-Years-of-DV-Half-Truths-Falsehoods-and-Lies.pdf
(7) www.nypost.com/2017/10/29/these-shelters-help-male-victims-of-domestic-violence
(8) https://endtodv.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Restraining-Orders.pdf